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Maradice Isle
Maradice Isle ( a pun on the words "Mare" and "Paradice" ) is a small island located many hundreds of miles southwest of the continent Equestria is located on. Despite it's rather small size, it somehow manages to house a population of around 30,000 ponies. It is currently ruled over and governed by Princess Mystical Melody. Maradice Isle is home to several different areas and environments. The entire island itself is about 10 square miles ( 6400 square acres ) long and wide. The islands inhabitants have lived in isolation from the rest of the world for over 5,000 years, due to both their unfortunate history with Shadow Magic ( a kind of dark magic that nearly crushed the entire world ), as well as their talent for fighting and warfare. Recently, however, the island has opened itself to open trade with other lands, such as Equestria, and it is not uncommon to see airships going to and from Saddleville ( the islands main town ) every day, bringing both cargo and ponies to and from the land. A quick rundown of all the islands areas follows below, along with any major points of interest in each area. HoovenStrum School The primary school of the island, many believe that this legendary school, founded by the islands seven founding ponies, serves a much larger role in the islands history ( as evidenced by the fact that the school teachers and headmistress are also members of the islands high council ). The school itself features dormitories large enough to house 2,000 students, which are divided up into five different age groups: * Novice ( Ages 7-9 ) * Intermediate ( Ages 10-12 ) * Adept ( Ages 13-15 * Magus ( Ages 16-18 ) * Master ( Ages 19-20 ) Ponies may graduate from the school at ages 16 and up, but they may also take the schools Master course, which offers high degree scholarships for those who manage to succeed. The school itself can be seen as a combination of Elementary, Middle, Jr. High, High School, and College all in one, with age groups taking turns doing their lessons every weekday to ensure everypony has an equal opportunity to learn. Like most other schools, HoovenStrum takes weekends and major holidays off. The Great Plain A large open grassy field with few trees, a few lakes and some fields of flowers. This giant open field serves as the "Go-Between" for most of the islands other areas. It covers most of the islands land and surrounds approximately 60% of SaddleVille, with the ocean and the Shoreline rounding out the other 40%. There are no key points of interest in the Great Plain. SaddleVille Maradice Isle's largest town, housing about 27,000 ponies in total, SaddleVille is where many of the islands inhabitants live, work and play. The town itself is roughly three times the size of Ponyville, and despite the islands isolation from the outside world, it continues to flourish to this day. With the opening of trade routes to other lands, however, the town is sure to skyrocket in population within the coming year. Key points of interest include: * ClockTower Library: A large library situated on the base of a large clocktower, the clocks of which are visible all the way in HoovenStrums dormitories. The library itself features nearly 100,000 books in it's collection, which is rapidly growing thanks to the newly established trade routes. Unlike many libraries, this one has two sets of workers who work both the day and night shifts, allowing it to remain open 24 hours a day. * Shipyards: Located on the islands south-westernmost corner, these docks allow for airships and standard boats to dock safely on the islands shores. It is not uncommon to see at least 50 airships a day flying to and from these docks, taking both cargo for trade and ponies alike to and from the island. * Town Hall: Housing not only the residence of SaddleVille's mayor, this building is usually used for civil purposes. It is also the former gathering place of the Maradice High Council before the Council was moved to the Royal Palace following it's completion. * Marketplace: Sandwiched between the ClockTower Library, Shipyards and Town Hall, the marketplace sells all kinds of things: Food, furniture, weapons, armor, clothing, to name a few. You never know what you're going to find here. New traders from other lands come by every day hoping to sell their wares, so check back often to see what new stuff is available. * Dueling Arena: Located near the shoreline, this large arena, which was modeled after the Roman Colosseum, is where ponies young and old can come to challenge one another in a safe and risk-free environment. Tournaments are held here on a regular basis, with prizes going to the one who can come out on top. When it's not tournament season, however, the arena may be used to duel another pony. All battles are overseen by the duelmaster Dancing Blades, whose judgement on who won a fight is fair and final. More info on the dueling arena can be found below. The Dueling Arena Normally, Maradice Isle does not allow battles between ponies out of fear that heavy damage will be caused to the nearby environment, and magic spells that do group damage never seem to hit other ponies in combat. However, those ponies who wish to duel each other, prey on the weak or cause trouble among the ranks may do so at the Saddleville Dueling Arena. All battles are overseen by the island's resident duelmaster Dancing Blades, whom also acts as the combat school teacher and registrar at HoovenStrum. His judgement over battles is fair and final. Every month, a tournament is held at the arena, in which ponies are paired in a "Round Robin" styled system and battle each other for the chance to win a large prize bundle, usually consisting of bits, weapons and even some rare items ( such as the fabled Goddess Tears ). After 3 minutes, the battle ends and the duelmaster decides the winner based on their remaining physical health. There are three kinds of victories during tournaments, each of which has a different point value: * Close Shave: The pony was nearly knocked out by the opponent, but managed to scrape out a win. ( 1 Pt ) * Standard Victory: Standard Victory: The pony took some damage, but nothing to serious, and managed to win. ( 2 Pt ) * Total Blowout: The pony took little, if any, damage, and managed to win the fight. ( 3 Pt ) NOTE: All point values are doubled if the pony manages to knock out ( K.O. ) the opponent before the 3-minute timer expires. The Royal Palace The Royal Palace, which was completed on December 16th, 2017, serves as the home for Mystical Melody and her daughter Autumn Shine. It features two conference rooms, a recreational room for parties and such, a cafeteria with attached kitchen, the new High Council room, as well as living quarters for both Melody and Autumn atop it's two towers. It also features lodging for royal guests who are visiting, a group of Elite guards, and the all-important throne room. A dungeon is located under the palace, where troublemakers are incarcerated should they commit any crimes against the Crown. A handful of cells called "Special Needs" cells feature not only indestructible reinforced titanium walls and door, but also feature the same anti-magic fields that the Shrines used, which prevent the use of any and all magic to anypony who is within their field. The palace houses the High Council Room, where the Maradice High Council assembles every Sunday to discuss the politics of the island. Ponies who aren't council members are not allowed in this room when a meeting is taking place, and visitors may be removed by force when a meeting is about to begin. * The council currently consists of Princess Mystical Melody, as well as the 9 HoovenStrum School teachers. The Northern Woods Housing a more dreadful and creepy atmosphere then the Everfree Forest, the Northern Woods sits at the very northernmost point of Maradice Isle, and not only houses a cluster of thick, dense trees, bushes, and other such plantlife that can throw you for a loop, it also houses several kinds of creatures that love to hide in the dark and strike unsuspecting passersby, including Timberwolves. School students are not allowed into the Northern Woods without a weapon and the training to use it, or adult supervision, as it is extremely dangerous for unarmed ponies. It is the reason walls were built around HoovenStrum in order to keep wandering creatures out of the school. Key points of interest include: * Wacky's Lab: Situated on the very northernmost shores of the island and the woods, this is the infamous lab where Wacky Workbench, the islands resident mad scientist, lives and tinkers with her insane inventions away from civilization. More then once, her inventions have caused mayhem all across the island, causing many to give her strange looks when she goes into SaddleVille to purchase her tools of the trade. Many wonder how she manages to negotiate the Northern Woods unharmed. * The Old Shrine: Once the home of the Seven Seers before HoovenStrum and SaddleVille were built, this old shrine sits in ruin in the middle of the Northern Woods. It is where all of the Essences live. For some unknown reason, Runes frequently appear in the middle of the large pond inside the shrine that they call the well. This is the only place where Runes can be obtained. Retirement Homes Set on the islands beautiful western cliffsides, these fenced-in homes provide rest and relaxation for the islands elderly who want to get away from the bustle of SaddleVille. Instrument Strums, the islands previous ruler, spent much of his final days here before peacefully passing away in his sleep one faithful November morning. There are no key points of interest at the Retirement Homes. Shorelines Ah, who doesn't love a nice summer day at the beach? Naturally, Maradice Isle being an island, one would expect there to be a beach on the islands southern shore. Stretching all the way from Saddleville's Shipyards to the foot of Lava Mountain, this large beach provides relaxation and recreation for the islands inhabitants. There are no key points of interest at the Shorelines, although it is interesting to note that seaponies from Seaquestria can easily reach the island from here, due to the smooth terrain stretching from the shore to the ocean floor. Mt. Winter Thousands of years ago, One of the islands founding ponies Frozen Shield cast a powerful spell on one of the islands two tallest mountains, blanketing it in a never-ending blizzard that to this day, has yet to let up, thus creating Mt. Winter. Covered in a blizzard that never end, few ponies dare to venture into this unforgiving place, and those who do will tell you that even the freezing cold of Equestria's Frozen North pales in comparison to Mt. Winter. Gusts of cold wind are often felt coming down from this mountain and into the Northern Woods below. A small village sits at the foot of this mountain. Key points of interest include: * Old Mares Cave: A large cave situated somewhere near the summit of the mountain, the entrance has a reputation for being frozen over, requiring the aid of a Frost or Ember pony to thaw or melt it open. This surprising warm cave features a hot spring and an abundance of Frost Flowers, a special light-blue glowing flower that's similar to Poison Joke in appearance, which is often used in potions to give them freezing properties. Frostland A small village set at the foot of Mt. Winter, housing about 3,500 ponies, this town is only about the size of Ponyville. It is rumored that Mystical Melody was born here. This small town serves as the base of operations for the ponies who work in the nearby Magma Mines. Key points of interest include: * Comb and Tail Lodging: The old lodging building that's as old as Maradice Isle itself, this large building serves as the home for all the ponies who work day in and day out in the Magma Mines hunting for the legendary Magma Mineral. Lava Mountain An active volcano that sits on the islands easternmost shores, this large volcano serves as a constant reminder of the power of the original Seers Seven. Blazing Inferno, one of these seven Seers, had used a powerful spell to transform this one normal and peaceful mountain into an active volcano with a huge lake of lava the size of two and a half baseball stadiums. Many caves and caverns litter the volcano's side below, which have since become the Magma Mines. There are no key points of interest at Lava Mountain. Magma Mines A serious of caves, caverns and tunnels that litter the inside of Lava Mountain, many ponies brave the searing heat and occasional deadly monster in this place in search of a legendary mineral dubbed the Magma Mineral. Said to be more powerful and magical then even mithril and reinforced titanium, this mineral can be used in forging weapons and armor to give them powers beyond belief! Though only tiny amounts of this mineral have been found, the brave miners continue their search for this legendary mineral below the planets surface. School students are not allowed in the Magma Mines unattended due to monster sightings. Some of the lowest caves and caverns remain unexplored to this day due to the sweltering heat of both the air and the magma. The most notable cavern by far is the Lava Labyrinth. The air in the lower portions of the mines can reach temperatures of around 2,000 degrees, the same as the lava that fills the top of Lava Mountain, while the magma down there can reach temperatures of almost 20,000! A way to get down into those caverns is being researched as of today. At present, there is no way to safely enter these scorching hot areas. Key points of interest include: * Lava Labyrinth: Recently, an underground cavern bigger then many of the others in the Mines has been discovered, which not only features an abundance of mithril and Magma Mineral, it is also filled to the brim with monsters who can only survive in the extreme heat of this area. The air is rumored to be over 2,000 degrees, as much as molten lava on the planets surface, and the magma in the area is rumored to be nearly 20,000 degrees; Much to hot for a pony to survive, even with a spell that negates heat! Only time will tell what awaits Ponykind in this deep, dangerous cavern... The following section contains some things one should know before visiting the island. Maradice 101 It's not surprising that the island would enforce some strict laws and rules after the Strange Tidings incident, which was later named the "Dawn of Shadows" incident. But there are some things one must keep in mind when visiting Maradice Isle, both legally speaking and otherwise. # The island is governed not only by Princess Melody, but the HoovenStrum school teachers as well, all of whom make up the Maradice High Council. # The Maradice High Council room is closed to visitors when a council meeting is in progress, which happens once every Sunday. This is so council members can pitch their ideas for the island to be approved by Melody herself without fear of interruption from outside forces. # The guards are all highly trained and accomplished soldiers, all of whom carry heavy armor and weapons, and a good chunk of them are highly accomplished magic users. And there are a lot of them. Troublemakers rarely appear on the island as a result, and those who do show up are usually dealt with quickly. # A group of highly elite soldiers, said to wear intimidating black mithril armor and carry large halberds, are said to be nearly invincible, and guard the most important areas on the island, including the entrance to the Lava Labyrinth, the High Council room, and the Vault. They are often referred to as "Elites". # Maradice Isle has a long, proud history of being an isolated warrior-like community, who survived being alone for so long because of their talent for fighting and using tactics to overcome their enemies. While they are open for conversation and even trade with other nations, one must always be aware that things can go south quickly if they decide to cross them. If your not welcome on Maradice Isle, take the hint and stay away! # Ponies must be at least 7 years of age to enroll into HoovenStrum. # Four armored airships, each carrying at least 8 soldiers or more, can be seen flying around the island in a large circle, keeping watch for any sign of trouble. # Ponies much reach Grandmaster status in HoovenStrum in order to be eligible to learn and use Shadow Magic. Trivia * Lava Mountain is an intentional nod to Spy Kids 3: Game Over, which features a volcano region with the same name. ** Likewise, the names of some of the other areas, such as Mt. Winter, the Magma Mines and the Lava Labyrinth, are all confirmed to be intentional references to popular videogames. * The islands name is a play on the words "Mare" and "Paradice". * Mystical Melody is the first alicorn princess to rule over the island; The islands previous ruler had been a unicorn. * Originally, Frozen Shield wanted the frosty mountain named Snow Mountain because he thought the name "Mt. Winter" would be an intentional insult to the Frost ponies magical powers. ** ( Guess the island ponies ignored his wishes when he wasn't around to protest anymore! ) * The Northern Woods was created in only 10 minutes by Leaf Green! * The Royal Palace was build in only a few weeks, though the builders did not sacrifice quality in the slightest. The palace is sturdy enough to stand up to any windstorm or hurricane that may come it's way. Gallery HoovenStrum Map.png Maradice Isle Seal.png Island Map V2.0.png Category:Locations Category:Beyond Equestria